While prayer is one of the highest privileges we can enjoy, we often fail to experience the joy of communion with God. We say, “I am too busy to pray.” We are often riddled with guilt over the poverty of our prayer lives.

One of the hurdles to meaningful time with God in prayer is our misconceptions. One of two traps sideline us from enjoying fellowship with God in prayer. We approach God as a divine vending machine when we insert our prayers and expect an immediate answer. We may also approach prayer with a check-it-off, get-it-done mentality, which overlooks that we are made for communion with God.

We struggle in prayer when we think we can learn to pray without actually praying. Growing in fellowship with God through prayer is different than learning the basics of American History or World Geography. While there are many helpful books on prayer, we best learn to pray by praying. 

Jesus, the master teacher, understands some things are learned through doing. When his disciples asked him to teach them to pray, he leads them in praying. He gives them a model prayer (The Lord’s Prayer) along which they can pattern their own prayers. Jesus understands that we learn to pray as we, well, pray. So he set his disciples to praying. 

One way to learn to pray is to pray with others in God’s family. We pray in our homes around the table; we also as God’s family pray together. 

On Wednesday evenings as a family of faith at First Presbyterian Church, we enjoy a Family Prayer Meeting in which we gather as families to pray to our common Father. We meet in Jackson Hall Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m., followed by a meal of fellowship prepared by our friends, Chef Rich and his team. This Wednesday, May 19, we will be meeting in Smith Chapel just for one week. Then we will return to Jackson Hall. 

Let’s enjoy the high privilege of prayer together in God’s family! 

Rev. David Lauten and Rev. Bryan Bult

This Sunday, May 16, during our morning services, we will observe the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. The time ahead of us is one in which we prepare for a joyful gathering at the table of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Thank you to everyone who helped us meet and exceed our Easter Missions Sacrificial Offering goal. Praise be to our God!

The Women of the Church’s Annual General Meeting and Salad Day Lunch will take place this coming Tuesday, May 18. The General Meeting will begin at 10:30 a.m. Please RSVP on the church website, app.

The Chancel Choir, Junior Choir, Youth Chorus Trebles, and Orchestra present works by J. S. Bach, John Rutter, and our church’s own William H. Bates, on the themes of Pentecost and New Jerusalem. The video will be released on Sunday, May 23, at 2:00 p.m. via the church website, app, and YouTube channel.

Seminar #3 in our Spring 2021 Series will be offered on Friday, May 21, at 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. in The Bridge, room 125, and via Zoom. Our topic is Elder Law with presentations on Planning for Living, Planning for Dying, and Planning a Legacy. 

For those attending in person, a selection of breakfast foods and beverages will be available from 9:30 – 10:00 a.m. This is a free offering for all First Presbyterian Church members and their guests. Reservations can be made on the church website or app. When registering, please indicate whether you will attend in person or via Zoom. Please contact Janet Altman with any questions at jaltman@firstprescolumbia.org. 

Please consider signing up at firstprescolumbia/serve to help as a greeter, serving snow cones or cleaning up and busing tables in shifts from 5:30 - 6:15 p.m. and/or 6:15 - 7:15 p.m. during the exciting Wednesday Summer Socials in June, July, and August. You can volunteer alone or with one of your children. We’ll have fun!

We are hosting a First Responders Appreciation Luncheon for City of Columbia and Richland County police, fire, and EMT workers on Friday, May 28, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in Jackson Hall. We are looking for volunteers to help with serving, clearing tables, and greeting the first responders who come to the luncheon; you can come for whatever time you have available. Excellent community service for students! To volunteer, please contact Barbara Shealy at bshealy@firstprescolumbia.org. 

June 9 Blood Drive 

The American Red Cross has again asked us to host an emergency blood drive on Wednesday, June 9, in The Bridge, Room 125, from 12:00 noon to 5:30 p.m. To sign up online, go to www.redcrossblood.org, and use sponsor code: FirstPresColumbia. 

Clarke, Kay Rivers - Bachelor of Arts in English with a Concentration in Digital Media and Film Studies and Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art - Wofford College

Stacy Howell and Seal King on the death of their father and husband, Glenn King, on May 11.

Kathryn and Adger Rice III on the birth of their son, Aaron Adger Rice IV, on May 11. Grateful grandparents are Harriet and Adger Rice Jr. Grateful great-grandmother is Harriet (Sissy) Felder McElveen. 

Items for Church Family

Contact Lisa Eargle at leargle@firstprescolumbia.org.